A new digital space is being created at White Cross Business Park in Lancaster.
The renovation plans have been created by the Lancashire County Council’s economic development company Lancashire County Developments Limited, which owns the site.
Co-working areas and small modular offices will be created on the ground floor and self-contained office space, suitable for fast growing companies, provided on the upper floors. All floors will have the high-specification digital connectivity, which is essential for the sector.
Fraser House is an 11,500 sq ft building in central Lancaster.
The increasing adoption of industrial digitalisation has led to a growing base of companies in the county who develop software to serve key industries.
County Councillor Michael Green, Cabinet member for economic development, environment and planning, said: “There is already a growing digital sector in Lancaster and surrounding areas, so the renovation of Fraser House will provide a high-quality base for these companies”.
“Our aim is to appeal to fast growing digital companies and start-ups, as well as providing co-working space and facilities where people can network and collaborate on projects. This is especially useful to freelancers and smaller companies.”
“Fraser House will enhance our offer at White Cross and encourage this growing sector to use Lancaster as a base for their work.”
Local partners including Lancaster University and Lancaster City Council, alongside local business owners, have helped to co-design the space to ensure it responds to the needs of the community.
It is hoped that renovation work could start in November, with the new hub opening in autumn 2020.
Businesses can express advanced interest in the space by contacting maya.dibley@lancashire.gov.uk.
Lancashire’s digital, creative, software and computer science economy is worth £1.3 billion in GVA, employing 36,000 people in the county.
Lancaster University is already home to the Info Lab, which has fuelled a cluster of digital and creative businesses including Fat Media, which is one of the largest digital agencies in the region.
The UK’s first Digital Skills Partnership is being piloted in the county by the Department for Culture Media and Sport, in conjunction with the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership’s Skills and Employment Hub.
Their innovative approach through this pilot will help identify gaps in skills in Lancashire and encourage partners to work together to address them, while attracting investment from outside bodies.